


Simplicity

by kirasmalydia (BansheeLydia)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asthma, Asthmatic Scott McCall, Concussions, Elves, Ficlet, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hospitals, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:23:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5474354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BansheeLydia/pseuds/kirasmalydia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott stinks, Stiles realizes kind of belatedly; a little sour with sweat and his shirt is flecked with what looks like blood.  He hasn’t changed...he hasn’t left Stiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simplicity

He wakes slowly, gradually crawling back to consciousness.

He can hear a steady beep, smell the clinical, nose-burning scent that can only mean he’s in the hospital. He scrunches his nose up briefly before finally opening his eyes.

His head’s pounding and he has to squint for a moment at the bright, artificial light overhead before his eyes adjust. He knows he’s not alone and his gaze instantly finds the boy sitting next to the bed, knowing before he even sees him that it’s Scott.

Scott looks uncomfortable, ass planted firmly on the ugly plastic chair, but body hunched forward so he can pillow his head on the mattress. His hand is a bare inch away from Stiles’, fingers curled slightly, like any second they could just extend that tiny bit and touch.

It’s a long, quiet moment where Stiles just breathes. His head hurts, his ribs ache, and he has no idea what happened or why he’s in hospital, but, drowsy and confused, all he can focus on is the gentle curl of Scott’s hair over his forehead and the soft part of his lips. Scott stinks, Stiles realizes kind of belatedly; a little sour with sweat and his shirt is flecked with what looks like blood. He hasn’t changed...he hasn’t left Stiles.

He wants to touch; wants to card his fingers through Scott’s hair, but he holds back. He lets him sleep. A nurse comes and goes, then a doctor, and he learns all about his concussion and bruised ribs, but not much about how it happened. He figures whatever story the doctor was told wasn’t real, anyway. 

He’s starting to feel drowsy again from the painkillers they’ve given him when Scott wakes. He yawns, nuzzling against the starchy blanket for a second before slowly sitting back. His spine pops at the change in position and Stiles winces in sympathy.

“Stiles?” Scott looks exhausted, but a relieved smile tugs at his mouth when he sees Stiles is awake. 

“Hey, buddy.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You look like you needed the sleep.” Stiles shifts slightly, winces at the ache in his ribs. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Scott asks and Stiles shakes his head. “The elves?”

“What? The – the _elves_? Are you freaking kidding me?”

He cracks a goofy grin. “That’s actually pretty much what you said the first time we saw them. Yeah, elves. Territorial ones. We tried to make peace with them, remember? And...”

“It ended in a fight,” Stiles finishes, because that isn’t hard to work out. It’s them; it usually does end bloody.

“Yeah. And I had an asthma attack.” Scott sits back, drags his hands over his face. “I messed up. Just...right there, in the middle of the preserve, fighting these elves, and I choked. And you saw me; you tried to get to me with my inhaler and you got attacked. You fought them off pretty well, but then one of them got you bad, and...” he trails off, swallowing.

Stiles is quiet for a moment. He’d started carrying a spare inhaler around for Scott, just in case; he’d figured it’d probably come in handy at some point. Mostly, he’s just relieved that Scott’s okay. 

“Scotty, buddy, it’s not your fault. It’s not like you can control asthma. Seriously. It’s not your fault. I should have been paying more attention.”

Scott frowns at him. “I’m a werewolf. I shouldn’t be getting these attacks. I don’t get why it’s happening.”

“So we figure it out. Together.”

Scott holds his gaze for a long moment before looking away, fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. “When you just dropped to the ground...I don’t even know how to explain how I felt. You weren’t moving, your head was bleeding, you just...you looked like you weren’t even alive. I thought for a second I’d lost you. And it would have ruined me, Stiles. I can’t lose you. I...” he trails off, swallowing thickly.

“I know,” Stiles says quietly. “I know, Scott. I love you too.”

Scott’s gaze snaps back up to his, silence falling heavy around them. Stiles’ heart is pounding because this will change everything. They’ve been dancing around this, these feelings for each other, for months, and while loving Scott is so easy, so comfortable, so _perfect_ , one of the few reasons to be happy Stiles has these days, he knows that nothing will be the same now they’ve both acknowledged their feelings.

Finally, Scott gives a slow, soft smile and reaches out, taking Stiles’ hand and brushing a kiss across the knuckles. “Okay,” he says.

And it’s that simple.

_Okay_.


End file.
